Author: talkingaboutfoodagain

I’m very pleased and proud that one of my stories, The Longest Night, was selected to be part of the new Writers Abroad anthology Foreign Encounters,available from 24th October at http://www.lulu.com/shop/writers-abroad/foreign-encounters/paperback/product-20450826.html Here’s the official Press Release with all the details:

On Sunday, I visited the Foodies Festival, held in Edinburgh’s Inverleith Park, not far from where I live. I persuaded my partner Neil to come with me and, in the afternoon, we had a leisurely 10 minute stroll up to the park. The festival was crowded […]

About two weeks ago, my partner, Neil asked me what I wanted to do on my birthday. I said, half -jokingly, “go to Arran”.

The Brodick Ferry

I wasn’t completely serious because visiting the Island of Arran, on the west coast of Scotland, was something I had been talking about ever since I returned from Cyprus in 1997. It remained one of those tantalising future events – I would go there ‘one day’.

Pumpkins are not just for Halloween, Thanksgiving or for taking Cinderella home from the ball. Both the flesh and the seeds of the pumpkin are an excellent source of many vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants. They are also lowfat, highfibre and low in calories. In short, they […]

If you have already-cooked beetroot to hand, this ruby-coloured soup is quick and easy to make. You can also make it with ready-cooked beetroot that comes in vacuum packs. Make sure you look at the pack in case it’s preserved in vinegar. I once made […]

I first came across bamia in Damascus. Otherwise known as okra, ladies fingers or gumbo, the bamia is a green, hairy vegetable, a few inches long and tapered at one end.

Thought to be a native of Africa, this strange-looking vegetable is actually the seedpod of a lovely flowering plant belonging to the mallow family. If that’s whetted your appetite to find out more go here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Okra If not, read on.

There’s nothing like a well-cooked roast potato. Cooks and chefs reputations have turned on the quality of their ‘roasties’. There have been more recipes and articles written on how to make the perfect roast potato than any other food. Well, not quite but it does […]

The sun is shining, for the third day in a row. You may think I harp on about the weather but in Scotland, the sun shining and the temperature rising above 15C degrees is cause for celebration. What do we think of when someone mentions […]

It’s dreich in Edinburgh today. That means it’s grey, drizzly and overcast. When it’s like this, my mood usually matches the weather – not much energy. But, what do we expect, it’s only June! Seriously though, in Scotland we are used to constant variations in the […]